


Not Without Him

by morganaDW (morgana07)



Category: CW Network RPF, Supernatural RPF
Genre: Angry Jensen, Angst with a Happy Ending, Angsty Schmoop, Apologetic Misha, Bottom Jared, M/M, Other: See Story Notes, Porn With Plot, Protective Jensen, RPS - Freeform, Slight anti Destiel, Top Jensen Ackles, Upset Jared, Worried Jared
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-18
Updated: 2014-11-18
Packaged: 2018-02-26 02:46:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2635166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morgana07/pseuds/morganaDW
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jensen's off set when something happens that calls him back to Vancouver in a hurry and he's faced with the very real threat of the show he's given 10 years to changing in a way that he will not allow.</p><p>When the network is fed lies about Jared and actually considers firing him Jensen finally has had enough of the lies, the innuendo and makes two very clear demands: one to his network and one to whom he blames for things getting to this point: Keep Jared or he walks as well and fix this insanity.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Author Note: True, normally I don't note before warnings but on this one I thought it best. I wrote this a couple months ago but haven't posted it because I wanted to avoid any issues it might cause within a certain aspect of the fandom so to avoid that I'm flat out saying this piece does not portray the more extreme, more obsessed section of Destiel fans in a good light. That said, let me go on. I respect all shippers. I can't read and write what I do without that. However that 1% that keeps insisting that Destiel is real or that it should be canon & keeps harping on the Js about it or who disrespects Jared is who this is based on. You can ship a fictional thing while still leaving it off the show & leaving the actors alone so read the warning because this was not intended as a slap to any shippers but after so much stuff the muse needed to vent.
> 
> Warning: If you're into Destiel don't read. Flat out. Normal warnings: language, angst, fluff, explicit sex and a warning that if you read just to flame then those will be deleted.
> 
> Beta'd by: Cappy712
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Just the brain.
> 
> Note II: The idea for the name came from a conversation on FB where it was being discussed that Jensen would never do the show without Jared.

**Not Without Him**

**Chapter One**

The loud annoying buzzing of his cellphone going off at some ungodly hour was not what Jensen Ackles wanted to hear when he swore he’d just fallen to sleep.

The show was on a short filming break but while normally Jensen would’ve stuck around Vancouver it was also one of the times when he was expected to be seen out and about with Danneel when she went to take their daughter to visit her family so he’d caught a late flight out to LA and then another flight into New Orleans.

His daughter was cranky and fussy which meant the actor was cranky cause he hated when his little girl was unhappy. He was also unhappy because he’d left someone else unhappy up in Canada and that worried Jensen a lot more than he could show to anyone but his understanding wife.

Danneel knew something was off. She’d known Jensen too long to not have the feel when her husband’s mind wasn’t with them but back in Vancouver.

She’d offered to make an excuse tomorrow to her family if he had to go but Jensen reluctantly shook his head, determined to stay the three days even though every text from home, very brief call made him more worried until it clicked that his goddamn best friend, co-star, and also boyfriend was keeping something from him.

Danneel’s family had insisted on taking them out to dinner so that meant putting on more of a show than he normally would have given that his mind just wasn’t in the here and now so when Jensen fell face first into bed he crashed…until his cellphone began to buzz annoying at…4:15 in the morning.

It wasn’t the ringtone that he knew by heart, the one that he would’ve snatched up right away so he chose to let it go to voicemail; until it kept ringing and Danneel’s elbow slammed into his back to translate into ‘answer the damn phone’.

Jensen grabbed the phone, considered throwing it until the blurry numbers came into focus causing him to frown. “What…” he began to ask only to lose the chance when the pissed off growly voice of one Clif Kosterman came blaring into his head.

“Get the fuck on a plane and get your ass back to Vancouver right the fuck now!”

Jensen was still half asleep but sitting up as he ignored his pounding head because to hear from his and Jared’s bodyguard this early was one thing but to hear the man actually swear strongly at him sent all of Jensen’s warning bells off.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, shoving the blankets aside to reach for his pants and trying to keep his voice pitched low as to not disturb Danneel or JJ in the other room. “Isn’t this something that could wait until it was a decent hour where I am?”

“No, it can’t. I need you on a redeye direct flight back to Vancouver ASAP and I need you to keep your temper when you get here because losing it on the wrong people won’t exactly help him,” Clif replied in a slightly calmer voice now that he was sure he had the Texas actor’s attention.

That had Jensen’s full attention and he pounced on it. “Him? Help him?” he repeated, trying to hold his phone while putting his shoes on until he finally had to give up and put it on speaker. “Help who? Jared? Is something wrong with Jared, Clif?” he demanded, a cold ball of ice forming in his belly at that thought. “What’s wrong? Where is he? Is he hurt?”

“No, he’s not hurt like you’re thinking but…” Clif paused to run a hand over his bald head, glad he didn’t have hair or he might have pulled it out over this one. “Gen called me because he wouldn’t let her call you. This is bad, Jensen. I need you back here…he needs you back here.”

“What the hell’s going on?” Jensen demanded, blinking as the light suddenly turned on as Danneel sat up with a worried look on her pretty face as she overheard the conversation. “Where’s Jared? Put him on the phone cause if whatever this is was going on before I left I will kick his ass to the next Con for not telling me about it.”

“There might not be a next con for Jared if we can’t get this mess straightened out, Jensen,” the bodyguard was grim when he said this. “There might not be any more episodes either, unless you can get up here in a damn hurry and lie through your teeth.”

Jensen stopped everything he was doing to stare at the phone. “What the hell are you talking about?” he demanded again, voice dropping into one that was almost eerily like the man he played on TV. “Why the hell wouldn’t there be?”

“Jensen, just get up and I’ll explain but…” Clif took a deep breath when he heard and recognized the low growl, reminding him that playing Dean Winchester for 10 years had left the usually quiet man with some bad habits, especially if they were discussing his co-star. “Okay, but promise me you won’t overreact and when you get here, if you see him that you won’t rip his throat out since technically it’s hard to pin all of this crap on what a few overzealous fans might have done.”

“Oh, God,” Danneel whispered, hand covering her mouth before she got up to begin throwing things in a carry-on bag.

“Uh-huh,” Jensen could feel his temper slowly simmering to the surface because that right there gave him all kinds of clues to what might be happening but not why his friend’s career on the show would be at risk. “No, I won’t promise not take my frustration out on Misha if this has anything to do with his fans or that side of it when I’m tired of dealing with that whole mess. Tell me why Jared might not be filming anymore. Did he get hurt? Is this something I can fix easily or why do I need to lie to anyone?”

“There are a few high ranking execs from the Network flying up here, Jensen. I guess they’ve been getting emails and letters from the same few people laying some pretty bad claims on Jared. They’ve ignored them as the usual crap and bullshit since it’s been plain for the past couple years there’s been a clique out there wanting the kid fired and off the show but this time…this is bad and the Network says if they can’t get to the bottom of it then they’ll have no choice but to let him go,” Clif winced as he heard the sound of low snarling and something breaking. “Jensen…”

“What the fuck did they say this time that got this reaction?” Jensen demanded while vowing to finally put a stop to his nonsense as soon as he got back to Canada.

For years, ever since their fourth season of Supernatural there’d been a switch to their fans. Jensen and Jared had always known there were some extreme fans out there but for the most part everything was smooth and good. These days there was one very small section of that fandom that pushed the extreme to the limits and he wished to God that Misha would stop encouraging them.

Ever since season one there were fans who saw beyond his and Jared’s friendship and hinted that there might be more to it. As Jensen knew now their fans had seen it before he and Jared had really seen it or accepted it but even after they’d taken that step beyond co-stars and friends they had carefully kept it private, behind closed doors.

At cons or in public they were the best of friends. They both sidestepped any innocent hints at the opposite and it was usually easy to explain the closeness between them because they were best friends and Jared was a very open and excitable young man, even after 10 years of filming Supernatural together.

Their fans adored them, honored their request to leave the mention of ‘Wincest’, as Jensen had learned it was called by a helpful Jared one afternoon when they’d both been snowed in and bored, at the door. It usually worked…except for that one side clique that had bloomed after Misha Collins came on as the angel Castiel.

Jensen and Jared had both understood the angel’s inclusion in the show would be temporary, brief and wouldn’t change anything but it was easy to see shortly by the middle of that season that that might not be the case when the fandom took to the angel.

It was cute at first. Jensen wasn’t on social media or as open in public as Jared or others were so he mainly left that to them. He saw the fans at cons or other social events and it was the first con after Misha was brought on that he saw the change.

He also saw it the first time Jared shut down on him after something had happened on line that left Jensen wondering what was happening and it wasn’t until an irate Chad Michael Murray called him out of the blue screaming about hate getting put on Jared over some so-called thing between Jensen and the new angel playing dude that the older Texan knew things were getting worse.

Since then the writers, the staff, the con event promoters had tried to put a handle on what was termed as ‘Destial’ in the fandom but these fans were having none of that and wouldn’t let it go.

Jensen had tried to stay away from it, to avoid causing a blow up or backlash but he had finally spoken up in Rome that it wasn’t how he played Dean. He thought that would help to convince those fans to back off but it only ignited a powder-keg that got worse when Misha hadn’t backed him up.

He’d known from little things that Eric, Sera, and now Jeremy said that there had been strong attempts to get Jared fired and off the show, to make it more Dean and Castiel strong but he honestly never thought they damn network would ever take it seriously enough to consider firing his friend over some crazy talk from a few people who couldn’t see fiction from reality.

Now as he listened to Clif talk, now as he heard what he was saying had been getting sent to the head brass of the network he felt both sick and furious. “The brass was told what?” he demanded tightly.

“The last accusation, the one that’s bringing the brass up, accuses Jared of not only improper actions with a fan during one of the last conventions but…they said they have proof that he’s…having improper relations with you and that it’s against your will,” Clif jerked the phone away just before his eye was blown out by the reaction he was sure he’d be getting from that carefully phrased statement. When he didn’t anything but silence he frowned. “Jensen?”

“I’ll be there,” Jensen growled, temper in his voice that was now cold as ice as he added. “You send someone else to the airport for me. You stay with him and you don’t let anyone but Gen, his lawyer, my lawyer or the asshole I’m about to try to call near him until I get to him,” he closed his hand around the item that was always in his pocket to try to center himself. “And Clif? You damn well better keep Collins away from him and away from me because I told him multiple times to stop encouraging that and if it costs Jared anything it won’t just be Jared that the show loses.”

The phone was disconnected and the man holding it could only try to settle down while ignoring the images of big eyes, a dimpled smile and a happy laugh that was probably going through hell right now. “No, not this time. This time this stuff has gone too far,” the actor muttered, not listening to his wife as she encouraged calm while he hit another number on his phone. “Where are you and how far are you from Vancouver?”

“Huh? Wha? Geez, Ackles, look at a clock next time. What’s the issue that you’re calling me and why does it matter how far I am from Vancouver?” the unhappy and clearly sleepy voice of Chad Michael Murray demanded.

“Where are you, Chad?” Jensen demanded again while seeing Danneel’s eyebrows raise in surprise that he’d be calling the often hyper and opinionated man who was more Jared’s friend than his. “I need you to go to Vancouver and stick yourself to Jared until I get there.”

That made the other actor stop his instant complaints. “I’m a couple hours from there given I’m up here on a possible job audition so I can probably be there in an hour if I push it,” Chad replied, no longer looking to bug Jensen like he normally would have given they were totally polar opposites of one another and only shared one thing in common: Jared Tristan Padalecki. “Why? What’s up and where are you?”

“I’m in New Orleans right now but I’m catching a red-eye back up,” Jensen was saying while trying to use his laptop to find a fastest flight only to have the device pulled out from under him so his wife would do it. “Clif called. There are issues and Jared’s close to getting fired over a bunch of goddamn lies. I don’t want him alone even though Gen and Clif are with him. I want someone else there…and Kane’s probably not a good choice given he’d be more prone to rip heads off than I will be when I get there.”

“Son of a bitch! This has something to do with that crap between your dude on the TV and that angel in a trench coat that fans seem to think is so real?” Chad knew if he missed this audition that he’d lose the part but right then his friend was more important than some reoccurring TV role. “Damn it, Ackles! What the hell happened that it could cost Jaybird his job?”

“I guess they’ve upped the game to saying he did something improper with a fan at a convention recently but the other one…they’re trying to tell the brass that Jared’s having sex with me,” Jensen looked when something was tossed his way to see that Danneel had managed to get him booked on a private flight directly to Vancouver and it left in less than an hour.

“Dude! You and Jared are having…nope, still can’t go there,” Chad was one of the few people who actually knew about the relationship between the two co-stars and while he teased them both and exaggerated his responses to the images it often brought he knew that so long as his friend was happy then he’d accept Jensen and the secret. “You get my point.”

“Against my will,” Jensen put in, seeing his wife’s eyes shoot open wider while sputtering could be heard on the other end of the line. “Now you see why I want someone with him?”

Chad was glad he hadn’t actually taken a drink of the soda in his hand when he heard that or else he might’ve choked to death. Now he was just straight up pissed. “Call that big bald guy you say is your bodyguard and you tell him I’m coming. You’d better just make it before those suits get there or else this could be bad cause you know Jared won’t admit the truth about you and him. He’ll take a fall.”

“Jared’s not falling, Chad. I won’t let this take him down. I won’t let them force him out and I will handle it,” Jensen wasn’t real sure how but he’d either see it handled or he’d see them both over the edge of a very large abyss. “He just needs a friend with him besides Gen and Clif. Can you go or will this hurt that audition?”

“Dude, this is Jared. I can get other jobs,” Chad snorted as if he’d choose a job over his friend. “I’m on my way.”

Jensen blew out a breath as he disconnected, resting his head against the wall and feeling a hand on his shoulder. “You know I’ll defend him, right?” he asked without looking back. “I won’t let someone’s bitter lies take Jared down all because they can’t tell what’s real and what’s not.”

“I know,” Danneel did know that. She’d known since before she and Jensen married that despite it all, despite years of friendship and even despite sharing a daughter together that she’d still never replace the one other person besides their daughter that Jensen loved. “I’d be disappointed in you if you didn’t defend him from lies or innuendo like this. Do you want me to come with you?” she asked, adding quickly. “Mom will watch JJ.”

Jensen was aware of what she was offering. It had been something they’d discussed at length between all of them because both he and Jared were aware that eventually they’d have to come clean with their fans and that would mean also explaining the odd marriages they both had because while he and his co-star were fully committed to one another they also did love their wives and children.

To do what he might have to in order to protect Jared from slander and lies Jensen knew he might also be forced to bring all their lives crashing down. But he wouldn’t unless he had no choice so he shook his head. “No, not unless I call you to come up,” he turned to meet her eyes with a small smile. “You know if I call what it means, right? It means the network or someone’s backed me into a corner and I will not be backed into one without fighting back.”

“Jensen Ackles, I have known you for how long?” Danneel smiled, leaning up to kiss his cheek. “I know you and I know that inside that soft spoken, often too quiet man is someone with one hell of a Texas temper. I know you’ll fight for him and I’ll have your back if and when you need me. Now, go kiss JJ and get your ass to the airport.”

Jensen nodded and took the single bag but paused in the door. “Don’t answer the phone and avoid any slick talking reporters that might’ve gotten wind of this if it gets ‘leaked’ accidentally,” he told her out of habit. “And stay off of Twitter if this blows up.”

“Will you?” Danneel countered, watching as Jensen gently kissed the top of their daughter’s head before heading for the door. “You knew when you had Gino help you set that Twitter account up for you after so many years of refusing that something like this might happen, didn’t you? Jensen?”

“I knew things were getting more intense. I knew when the last blow up happened in Rome and when it became plain that the writers were keeping Misha limited to scenes without me that something would probably hit the fan from that side of the fence,” Jensen had hoped he was wrong but he guessed he hadn’t been and that saddened him a little. “I will cause Twitter to blow up if I’m forced to so yeah; I guess you could say I have another reason to want to be on there in addition to what I have been doing.”

“Jensen, just be careful and don’t lose your temper on the wrong person,” she encouraged but knew that was a useless warning; her husband’s temper would flare the moment he got back to Canada and she could guess the first person it would be aimed at.

On the trip to the airport Jensen made a few other calls. He called his parents just to give a sort of heads up that heat might be coming their way depending on things. He called his agent and got the standard warning to not lose his temper and risk his career but also got that his back was covered if he did decide to jump off the cliff so to speak.

Jensen’s last call was to someone he didn’t see regularly anymore but did still speak to when he had free time and was in LA. He hated to call in favors but needed a back-up plan if his bluff failed and needed a way to convince people that he and Jared had other options open to them.

“Hey Mom,” he gave the standard joking greeting to his first ever TV Mom. “I need help.”

The flight up to Vancouver wasn’t the best Jensen had ever been on but it was fast and hassle free so he was just grateful for that. He’d just grabbed his bag, dealt with customs when he heard his name being shouted and knew the voice even before he turned.

“Bob,” Jensen held out his hand to Robert Singer even as he was being ushered out of the airport; taking it as a good sign that he wasn’t being instantly flash blinded by cameras. “How’d you get the dirty job of picking me up?” he asked once they were in the back of a standard studio SUV that was used to shuttle cast and crew between sets or locations.

“Clif said you ordered him to stay put. Jeremy’s doing damage control as fast as he can to try to put this to bed before the suits get here and Eric’s on his way up with his lawyer in case the two that are already stalking the lot that I assume belong to you and Jared aren’t enough,” the man replied while glancing at Jensen as if trying to gauge his mood. “I put Robby, Adam and Jim on lot duty to try to keep anyone else from getting close to your trailer and…I don’t guess you could say who tipped off your former on screen parents to what was happening here?” he asked curiously while seeing a completely stoic gaze aimed back at him. “Both Jeff and Sam have ripped Jeremy and Eric apart for letting this go on so long.”

“Screen parents intuition?” Jensen replied easily, shrugging. “I haven’t talked to them. Maybe Clif needed to vent to Jeff after Chad got there.”

The older man could only groan at the mention of that name. “Out of all the people you could’ve called to be support until you got here did it have to be that one, Jensen?” he demanded, exasperated. “He’s got a worse temper than you and he’s already been in Misha’s face…Jensen,” he felt the sudden tension in the man beside him and could see this going badly already. “Talk to Jeremy or Clif before you…”

“I’m not talking to anyone but Jared first,” Jensen didn’t like that this would go down on set. He would’ve preferred it go down someplace either neutral or at least more private or at least someplace where he wouldn’t be tempted to draw blood. “How is he?” he asked, concerned.

He hadn’t liked it when none of his texts were returned and Gen had apologized to say that she couldn’t even get Jared to talk to her or Clif anymore.

“Quiet,” Bob looked grim. “Jeremy and Eric wanted this done in the office in town or even your or his house so he might feel more at ease but the suits insisted they meet with him on set and he made the choice to go to your trailer rather than his own. Murray’s inside with him while Clif’s like a statue outside the door keeping anyone from going in. The lawyers are talking to one another and trying to talk to him but he won’t let them in,” he finally blew out a breath on frustration. “What the hell’s going on Jensen?”

“Ask Misha,” Jensen responded tightly as the SUV pulled on the lot and he could see not much was getting done today as there were too many people milling around the lot. “Is he here?”

“Yeah, but after Murray nearly took his head off and I put the others on lot duty to keep everyone clear of the trailer section I saw Mark heading his way in pure Crowley pissed off mode so it’s a good bet angel and demon might be having words,” the producer/writer/director replied, glancing over to see a familiar twitch. “I thought only Dean had that jaw muscle that did that when pissed off.”

“Dean’s as much me as I am him these days,” Jensen had made his character as flesh and blood as Jared had made his own so in many ways the protectiveness that Dean showed for Sam was so similar to how he felt for Jared. It came out in times like this; when he felt his friend was threatened or being bullied.

The SUV pulled up close to there the trailers for their show’s two stars were kept to easily see a grim faced Clif standing in front of the door to his trailer. Jensen saw his local attorney as well as Jared’s deep in conversation in the door to Jared’s trailer but it was seeing Jim Michael’s with his hand wrapped in Chad’s collar that instantly drew his attention…or it was more who Chad was trying to get to that had it.

“Jensen…don’t do…oh damn,” Bob muttered. He tried to latch on but only felt air as the door was opened and Jensen was out it in a flash. “Clif! Catch that one!”

Clif Kosterman had been bodyguard to J2, as the fans had named them, from the start. He’d seen a lot, he’d heard a lot and had dealt with even more but the one thing he hated dealing with was stuff brought on his charges that should be left in the area of fan art.

He’d bit his tongue plenty of times over stupid comments or what might have been harmless little comments said by anyone else. But when it was said by the black haired man that was currently trying to keep either an irate Chad or a pissed off Mark Sheppard from getting to him it was far from harmless.

He’d already chased the man away from the trailer twice now and would do so again because of anyone on set he was the last one that needed to be close to Jared Padalecki right then even if not all the blame could be placed on him.

“I didn’t do this!” Misha Collins was trying to say, batting a hand away as it kept grabbing his arm. “I didn’t even know this was…”

“Bullshit!” Chad shot back, furious that the man who played Castiel had the guts to show his face near his friend right then. “You know damn well what your fans have been saying, doing to Jared for years! You know every time you encourage that Destiel crap that it flames the fire more because they hear it from you and believe it!” he yelled and struggled to break the vice like grip on his collar. “Dude! Let me go so I can bloody that face.”

“I don’t have control over what my fans do any more than Jensen or Jared control theirs,” Misha argued, giving a dark look at the shorter, stockier man who was grabbing him. “Did you just snort at me?”

Mark Sheppard hadn’t been on as long or as steady as Misha but he still had a good handle on things. He also had a good handle on the fandom and he wasn’t sure to snort or downright laugh at that comment. “Their fans don’t think they’re some type of quasi-God who walks on water like a good many of yours seem to so…yeah, I snorted cause I happen to agree with Murray. You fan those flames just to get a rise outta the fans and maybe even outta Jensen or Jared because you know how they feel about it but this time it’s gone too far.”

No one on set really knew what was happening but there were plenty of rumors. Mark, on the other hand, had been told a little by an exasperated Jeremy Carver in his hopes of keeping Misha away from either star as everyone knew Jensen was on his way home and would be pissed beyond belief.

It was a pity that everyone in the general area was too distracted to noticed the very pissed off actor before he took matters into his own hands.

“H-Hey!” Misha yelped when he was suddenly jerked away from Mark and shoved into the side of the trailer with a strong arm across his chest and searing green eyes boring into his own. “Oh. Hey, Jensen,” he muttered and then quickly tried to apologize and explain only to be cut off by a low snarl that put Dean Winchester’s best to shame.

“Shut the fuck up,” Jensen was fighting his most basic instincts right then, he heard his name being shouted and knew it wouldn’t be long before Clif had him so he’d make his point fast. “I am giving you two very clear options here and you better pick the right one. The first, you get on that damn phone, go on Twitter and make it very damn plain that you do not, I stress, do not, want Destiel anywhere but fan fiction or art. You do not want it on screen. You do not play Castiel in any way that suggests that it is real, or might happen. It is not now, nor will it be canon, real, or anything in that area.

“Then you will say that you don’t think it’s a good thing for fans of yours, Castiel or Destiel to harass, bother, insult, or try to get Jared fired or in trouble. That he is your friend and that doing things to hurt him or to try to get him or his character away from me isn’t something you want,” Jensen’s eyes went to slits as he saw the wheels turning in a brain that he knew could be very clever and also very sneaky. His arm also applied more pressure. “Or you can take option two which if I were you I wouldn’t take it because if you don’t finally clear this up in the fandom, if you don’t make this right with and for him by the time I’m done trying to clean up the mess your fans have finally caused him then you better pray you quit before I get fired,” he growled lowly, temper there but still held in check.

“I told you in Rome when you threw me under the bus after my panel that I was through dealing with them, the mention of what is made up in some fans minds and the thought that I would _ever_ play Dean in that manner. I told you to clear it up but you just fan those flames like you did in Chicago by telling them that goddamn story about the glass dildo. I honestly wanted to do this there but Richard wouldn’t get out of my face and I had Jared to worry about…”

“Yeah, like you have right now so let him go and go take care of Moose,” Mark shoved between them finally even as Clif’s huge hand was hauling the irate Texan back a few steps. “I’ll make sure Mr. Twitter takes care of this on his end and anything else that needs done to help fix whatever this is.”

Misha had been picking up rumblings from various Twitter feeds that some of his fans might’ve done something a little extreme but he honestly hadn’t thought it would be serious enough to cause anyone real harm. Now he wasn’t so sure and guessed he should go check it out…especially given the fact that the brass from the network was coming up and Jensen had come back early…and looked ready to kill him.

“C’mon, guys,” he tried to say to lighten the mood he could sense around him. “They’re fans. They’re harmless. The whole Destiel thing…it’s a harmless little thing to keep the fandom hopping and…”

“They told the goddam network that Jared assaulted a female con worker three months ago and that our ‘relationship’ is basically rape!” Jensen snarled, furious that even now the man couldn’t see the harm in what encouraging that side of the fandom was causing. “They’re coming up here to fire him! Out of all the lies, tricks, emails, whatever that your and Castiel’s ‘fans’ have sent the brass in hopes to get Jared and Sam off the show this time it might just happen. And if it does…you better pray I don’t see you!”

As Jensen whirled to shove past Clif to jerk open the door to his trailer while growling at everyone to leave them the fuck alone for a minute, Misha’s face went blank as if surprised.

“Yeah, but they’re cute, funny, harmless little jokes,” Mark remarked in full sarcasm, glaring at the other man while Chad almost got close enough again to do real damage. “Brilliant fun, mate. You better pray Jensen doesn’t get close to you again because I don’t think I’ll stop him now or Mr. Murray here.”

“Fix it or make a post or something but it might already be too late if the brass feel they can’t risk a scandal if those fans or whoever do release the so-called news to the online fandom,” Bob Singer told him grimly, while looking to the trailer and hoping this didn’t cost most than it already had.

Misha was stunned. He’d known some of his fans, a few of the more hardcore Destiel fans wanted more of it on the show, they wanted to see it between Castiel and Dean, they wanted Sam gone. He’d known it for years; just like he had known Jensen was uneasy with it and Jared was polite but steered clear while he encouraged it by his jokes or comments.

He thought it was just harmless fandom fun even though his wife had remarked more than once that some of them believed a little too strongly and some of the remarks toward Jared or even Jensen’s wife and child were borderline creepy and that he should say something to calm it back to a fan based thing.

Misha liked to push the envelope. He liked that he could get away with being crass and often a little too rude because his fans expected it from him. He did like that he could make the shows two main stars a little uneasy when he crashed their panels and had noticed the increase in Tweets about Destiel, etc when he did that but again hadn’t thought it was anything but harmless fun.

Now he wasn’t so sure as he realized how bad this situation really might become for Jared…and for the show itself because if no one else had thought of it Misha was sure of two things if Jared was fired over this: the first was he was probably going to be in a hospital and the second was that Supernatural would be over because if Jared was fired it was a damn sure bet in the next second Jensen would quit.

Ignoring the yelling still from outside, Jensen closed and locked the door behind him and took a minute to settle himself before dropping his jacket on the floor and heading for the back of the trailer where he knew he’d find his friend.

“Jay?” he called to let Jared know it was him and not anyone else and he chose to use the name only he used for him to help to hopefully reassure his co-star/boyfriend. “Jared? Hey, you gonna talk to me?” Jensen was frowning slightly as he pushed open the door to the small bedroom to see what he thought he would. “Hey, babe.”

Jared Padalecki was curled in the corner of the small room with his long legs pulled to his chest, arms wrapped around them like he used to sit when they’d just met and filming was often stressful and he’d get nervous or worried about messing up.

He didn’t immediately look up at the deep husky voice that spoke from the door; a voice that he’d been wishing to hear but hadn’t been able to bring himself to call and confess what had been going on to Jensen to avoid worrying or upsetting him. By the time Jared knew he needed to it was too late and now he could only hope he didn’t drag Jensen down with him.

“Clif shouldn’t have called you,” he finally spoke, voice dull, tired, raw but he kept his face turned toward the corner rather than look at Jensen.

“No, you should’ve called me or told me this crap had gotten this bad,” Jensen replied, stepping in to close that door as well; determined to give them privacy. “Damn it, Jay. When the hell did this start and why didn’t you tell me about it?”

“It started really bad a few months back, before we started filming again,” Jared sighed, sounding tired and scared. “At first it was the safe crap that I usually get but then…then it picked up. After you went on Twitter it started as more direct messages or little notes sent here to the studio or Gen would find ‘em in the mailbox. I thought it was the same old stuff that happens when you rile the Destiel folk but…a month ago I…I got something kinda weird that really did almost scare me.”

Jensen knelt down beside Jared but resisted the urge to touch him yet, giving the younger man the time to make that move if he wanted to. “What was it?” he asked.

In 10 years there were very few things that truly could scare Jared so hearing that something had been sent to him that had worried Jensen. He followed a shaking finger that pointed to where a wrinkled manila envelope was tossed on the bed. “What’s this?”

“Everything I’ve gotten lately. I printed out the messages for some reason instead of deleting them like I normally do,” Jared let out what almost sounded like a sad little laugh. “It was like some part of me knew I needed to keep ‘em…but…there’s no good way to fight that.”

Jensen leaned back to grab the envelope, opening it to pull what looked like an 8x10 photo only to nearly lose his balance at what he saw. “Son of a bitch!”

“I know that’s us but not us because we’ve never done the kinky shit anywhere but inside our house and that’s not our house but…someone who’s just given that won’t know that and if I didn’t know me, didn’t know that I didn’t do…that then I’d even believe I was…” Jared’s head slowly lifted to gaze out from under long wet lashes to watch as Jensen tore through the envelope of crude threats, promises, messages, photos and other things all promising to ruin Jared if he didn’t quit the show and stop interfering in what was a destined thing to be. “That, others and the one with the girl are what the network got. How the hell do I fight that, Jen?” he asked, voice shaking suddenly as badly as he was.

“I’m going to lose 10 years of my life, not to mention you and probably everything else all because some people can’t face that Destiel isn’t real? That people or a person even thinks I’m a threat to something between you and Misha as much as Sam is to Dean and Castiel that I could be facing criminal charges? How in the hell…what am I…” Jared’s voice broke suddenly and just as suddenly the 6’4” usually happy go lucky man was being pulled into strong arms and held tightly.

From the moment Jared had gotten the first call to tell him what was going on it had seemed like his whole life had suddenly been turned upside down. He had known not telling Jensen sooner would be a problem but he’d been trying to protect his best friend, the man he also had fallen in love with nine years earlier, as best as he could.

That was his reason for not allowing his wife to call Jensen but he hadn’t had the inner strength to argue with their irate bodyguard once Clif had arrived to learn what was happening.

Jared had been numb to learn the accusations thrown at him. He was hurt as well because he honestly never thought fans of their show would go to that extreme but tried to listen to Gen’s soothing words that it wasn’t him or Jensen’s fans but an extreme Destiel one that sought to get him fired and now possibly jailed for things he’d never do in a million years.

He was scared. He was more scared than he’d been the first day he’d arrived on this set to film because he knew his life here was over; that the network, even if they proved these lies were just that, wouldn’t want to continue to deal with the hassle and would fire him.

Losing a job, a character he loved was one sickening loss but the thought of this hurting Jensen or the show really hurt and he’d refused to deal with it since arriving on set to wait for the brass to show.

Jared had chosen this trailer because it felt like Jensen and he needed that feeling of security until he could feel the man himself. Now that Jensen was there, now that he could feel the solid weight of Jensen’s chest, his arms folding around him…now the walls were falling and all the emotions that Jared had buried came pouring out in brutal sobs as his body shook violently.

Jensen stayed quiet for that time and just held Jared as he worked through the fears, anger, confusion, and hurt that he’d been burying and hiding.

Inside he was seething that someone who professed to be a fan of the show would think doing this was right or even fair. Inside Jensen wanted to say the hell with all of it, he wanted to tell those suits when they walked in the door to fuck off and where to stick everything…including his contract but he knew he needed to settle down and get a grip. He knew Jared needed him to fix this, not to make it worse.

Of course that meant calming Jared down before they had to face the brass and top dogs. “Hey, look at me now,” he urged softly after Jared’s sobs had slowed down to shaky sniffles and the hard tremors had eased off to little shakes. “C’mon, Jay, look at me.”

“I am so sorry you had to come back here for this,” Jared hated that Jensen’s time away had been ruined but he was silently so glad, not wanting to move since he knew the odds were good that their time together after this would be few and far between. “I’m sorry I mmhm?”

The next apology was cut off by gentle lips covering his in a slow sweet kiss. It had no heat but was meant to both soothe and show love. It also served to make Jared’s breath catch in his throat.

“You don’t apologize to me for any of this. In fact, you’re not apologizing to anyone for anything,” Jensen told him once he broke the kiss, settling with his back to the bed but still kept Jared in his arms. “This isn’t your fault and we will fix it.”

“Jensen, even if I can convince the brass that those photos were photo shopped. Even if they know this isn’t the first time I’ve been harassed or stuff…this is going to make them think twice about renewing my contract for another season. If they even keep me for the rest of season 10,” Jared’s fingers traced the muscles on Jensen’s chest through his shirt to pause at something he felt under the shirt that made him frown; if he wasn’t so upset and distracted he might have thought to comment on it. “I guess I can see the plot Robbie or Bob will pen. The cure didn’t fully work, demon Dean resurfaces and in a rage kills his brother…fade to black.”

“Over mine and Dean’s dead bodies,” Jensen growled, catching a lowered head to lift it up to meet his eyes. “Listen to me, Jay. I know this looks bad. I know you’re upset and scared. I’m not telling you not to be but I am telling you that I will fix this. I am not letting this happen without a fight. I am not letting this or them take you down without a goddamn fight,” he vowed firmly, voice deeper than normal as he nudged Jared back just slightly so they could look at one another. “I need you to trust me, Jared. No matter what happens out there when the brass gets here I need you to trust me and know that I know what I’m doing.”

Jared was tired, emotional, hungry, and scared out of his mind but he was still alert enough to catch a couple things, including that tone in Jensen’s voice, the evidence of the low drawl of Texas that only came out when his friend was angry and covering that worried him.

“Jen, there’s nothing you can do to help me…” he blinked when a finger touched his lips to again shut him up.

“I am not letting this hurt you,” Jensen told him firmly, making certain he had Jared’s full attention when he held up his left hand to show it before he pulled off the gold band and watched as something flickered in shadowed, too big hazel eyes as it seemed Jared began to get a sense of what he might be planning. “I might crash and burn but if you go down then we’ll go down together.”

“No, Jen…you…” Jared’s heart was in his throat as he watched Jensen place his wedding band in a pocket while pulling another ring out to slip it on. “Jen…don’t. There’s no sense for you to…Danneel will…”

“I told her if I called for her that I was upsetting the proverbial apple cart and she said she’d back my play so I’ll deal with this crap, these lies, and whatever the brass want to throw at you but if you go…then I go,” Jensen’s hands slipped up to cup Jared’s cheeks between them and instantly didn’t care for how clammy they felt. “I have a plan, babe.”

“Should I worry about that?” Jared asked with just a hint of a weak grin on his lips, letting himself be tugged to his feet as Jensen stood and then went willingly into the arms that he hoped would always welcome him even with what was coming.

“No, just trust me,” Jensen felt the shudders still going through Jared as well as how weak he seemed so he sat down on the bed with him until he felt him leaning more into him as if tired. “Did you sleep last night, Jay?” he asked but knew the answer already.

Jared blinked his eyes again, suddenly tired. “No, every time I tried I’d wake up screaming and then Chad…dude, you sicced Chad on me?” he still had a hard time believing that given that Jensen and Chad usually bickered too much to even talk long.

“It was that or Chris,” Jensen shrugged, starting to nudge Jared back so he could maybe rest a little bit before he felt his phone buzz and guessed locking both doors was pissing people off. “What?” he demanded gruffly, frowning at the voice of his lawyer who was asking to speak with them before the brass arrived. “Wait a second.”

The phone was tossed after Jensen shut it off to sigh. “The lawyers want to talk to you…Jay; you need to talk to them. You need to talk to Jeremy so they know what’s been going on,” Jensen hated it but he knew they needed to let someone else in on what’s been happening so maybe his plan wouldn’t be needed. “I’ll be right here. I’ll have your back and if need be I’ll handle it if you want me to. Just let me know when and I’ll take over, okay?”

Jared wished it could just be them for a while longer. He hated having people, even ones they knew, having to be involved in something that should’ve just been him and Jensen but he knew his friend was right. He also knew he should’ve talked to the Executive Producer sooner so he slowly nodded. “Stay?” he asked softly, feeling stupid that he was scared but gasped as this kiss reminded him of everything he stood to lose.

“Right beside you, Jay,” Jensen promised, brushing his knuckles over a faint mark on Jared’s jaw that he’d ask about later. “Go wash your face off while I go unlock the doors and see who I want to let in and who I’m siccing Chad on for real.”

This time the smile was slightly stronger but still the worry was stronger as Jared pushed to his feet to move toward the adjoined bathroom, pausing to call out. “Jen? Thanks for coming.”

“Dean’s not the only one who’d move Heaven or Hell for what’s his, Jay,” Jensen offered with a smile and then went to unlock his trailer door. “Here we go,” he muttered to himself and hoped this didn’t go bad.

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one has the explicit content warning.

**Not Without Him**

**Chapter Two**

The next few hours seemed to both creep and fly by for Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki. It took forever for Jared to explain to his and Jensen’s lawyers, the lawyer that came up with Eric Kripke as well as the man himself and the current executive producer, Jeremy Carver, what had been happening in the form of the harassment. The little and not-so-little threats and then the clearlyphoto shopped photos that helped to cause the current nightmare.

“Son of a bitch,” Eric muttered as he took in the laid out stuff and then the pale faced actor in front of him.

Since he gave up the reins as executive producer at the end of Season 5 the show’s creator didn’t come to Vancouver much as he had full faith in the men and women at the helm of what was still his show but it was at the red carpet event for the show’s 200th episode that he’d caught the difference in Jared; he’d seen how tense he seemed at certain moments but had shrugged it off as just not being around the boys, as he still thought of his two stars, in a long time.

Now he guessed what some of that tension had been from and was highly ticked off that this was even going on. He’d told Sera at the end of his run when she’d taken over for him to deal with the Destiel hints that the fans of it kept bringing up in any way she could but just cut it off before it got out of hand…well he could see that he should’ve dealt with it and ratings be damned but that angel wouldn’t have come back at the end of Swan Song if he had known this would be the outcome five years later.

“I can add a few more expletives to that if you want to hear ‘em,” Jensen muttered from where he sat on the back of the sofa so he could be close to Jared but not look like he was hovering…even though he wanted to hover in the worst way.

Actually he wanted to just say the hell with it and take Jared home, lock the door and forget this whole mess of crap but knew that wasn’t an option…yet.

“No, I think by now we all know your opinion on the situation and certain people involved, Jensen,” Lucy Clark, his local attorney in Vancouver, replied with a soft soothing smile toward a clearly uneasy Jared while her companion and Jared’s local attorney continued to growl under his breath. “Jared, why didn’t you tell anyone about this or report it?” she asked.

“I’ve been dealing with this type of stuff for five years. I thought it would blow over like it always did after a few weeks,” Jared shrugged, leaning back on the sofa to rest his eyes and could feel the gentle stroke of fingers on the back of his neck; grateful for the silent support. “This was the first real time it got this bad. By the time I realized how bad it was it…was too late. They’d gone to the network and now I’m screwed.”

“No, you’re not,” Jensen muttered, seeing Eric frown but ignoring it to eye Jeremy. “Did you explain it to them?” he demanded. “Did you tell them that this had been going on for years and that it’s just some small group of too obsessed fans looking to cause trouble because their make believe head canon isn’t happening on screen? Did you tell them to blame the people responsible for the lies and crap or talk to the guy who’s fans these are instead of taking their fear of a scandal out on Jared?”

Jeremy Carver had to wait for Jensen’s spike in temper to run down in order to be given a chance to speak. “I did. I did talk to the head of the CW and I did explain it to him, to the board, to the legal department, to people I probably didn’t have to explain it to. As soon as I found out about all of this I was on the phone and so has Eric but…” he winced when instantly hot green eyes hit him. “They still insist someone has to come up and talk to Jared in person.”

“He’s been harassed and those photos are goddamn fakes!” Jensen snapped, starting to move only to feel Jared’s fingers grabbing for his wrist to keep him where he was.

“It’ll take time to have an expert verify it since whoever made these knew what they were doing,” the older lawyer declared while examining the photos and then took his time to look at the two actors. “I’m sure between us that we can get the network to hold off on any extreme action until more evidence is gathered but there is a good chance that if whoever is doing this does go public to the online media sites that the CW may decide to cut their losses.”

“To which I will sue their asses for breach of contract because Jared hasn’t done anything to deserve being fired,” Thad Tucker muttered, furious that this had happened and the cause behind it. “I might sue someone else.”

Jared had been quiet through all of this. He really just wanted the brass to arrive so he could learn what was coming and at the same time he dreaded it. A knock on the door had him tensing and his breath speeding up until a hand squeezed his neck to remind him that he wasn’t alone.

“The guys from the network are here,” Clif reported and clearly didn’t look happy about it as he ushered in three men and a woman into the trailer.

The people from the CW all looked professional but it was the hard set of their faces that had Jensen’s back going up even before the man who was clearly the leader spoke up.

“Mr. Padalecki, thank you for seeing us and we at the CW wish this were a more pleasant visit but you’ll understand that these are troubling charges to say the least for us given how high profile your show is these days,” he sat down in the chair recently vacated by a nervous Jeremy while his associates stood around loosely.

“I didn’t do what they’re saying I did,” Jared knew his voice shook and wished it wouldn’t but this was worse than being called to the office in school.

“Paul, I told you all this on the phone,” Eric spoke up, catching the way Jensen was tensing and years of experience told him that it wouldn’t take much for him to snap. “Jeremy faxed you guys all of this crap. Instead of grilling Jared you should be putting some effort in shutting down the little troublemakers that have been trying this shit for five years.”

The man sat back to eye the show creator grimly while looking up at Jensen before moving his gaze back to Jared. “We have overlooked a lot of those complaints or accusations as merely some too obsessed fans, Eric, but this is a bit more serious to be just swept under the rug given that there are photos.”

“They’re faked!” Jensen snapped, ignoring the hiss from Lucy as he glared at the network people and could already see how this was playing out. “You can’t find one goddamn witness from that Con who will say that Jared was anything but polite to them. And if you do then I can promise you that they’ve been paid off to slander him and lie.”

“And the other photo, Jensen?” the woman asked coolly, holding out a photo that Jensen hadn’t seen that showed him with bruises on his neck. “The person who sent these said they have other proof, a tape of you telling someone that Mr. Padalecki was…”

“Jensen!” Eric snapped as Jensen moved around the sofa with an agility learned from years as Dean Winchester. “Let her speak because then I want to see the rest of this evidence and the name of who they say you spoke to,” no longer was he willing to be too friendly, now the creator was slipping back in protect his stars mode.

Jared had surged up to grab for his friend before Jensen actually got in the woman’s face. It took some tugging and some not so subtle pushing from Jeremy but finally Jensen sat on the edge of the sofa, disgust in his eyes.

“Jensen?” he whispered, worry in his eyes as well as just a hint of doubt.

Jensen turned his head just enough to meet those eyes while wishing he could reassure him the way he wanted to but had to settle to a slight shake of his head. “I never told anyone anything negative about Jared.”

The lead suit looked between them grimly. “You understand what these allegations are implying?” he asked, meeting Jensen’s gaze head on and was surprised by the steady look he got. “These photos as well as…”

“Those photos are faked,” Jensen repeated tightly, waving off the lawyers as he leaned forward to face the man. “Tell me who I said this stuff to or better yet supply the so-called tape. Any time I bitched about Jared is after we’d run a scene too many times because I was tired and sore but he bitched about me just as much.

“We do a lot of our own stunts so we get bruises but that photo there? With me with bruises on my neck? Take a better look at it and me, jackass,” Jensen heard a low groan but was locked on the man’s face that was a threat to his friend and saw his eyebrows shoot up. “Whoever rigged that photo used a younger photo of my face because my hair hasn’t been like that since season four…when Dean was choked by a demon.”

The suits had a quick huddle to discuss that but the woman looked up and it was plain that she’d already made up her mind. “This isn’t the first time it’s been suggested that perhaps Mr. Padalecki was using his greater size to perhaps…intimidate you,” her lips thinned while looking toward a frowning Jared. “Your own cast mate said at a convention that he’d often seen him push you around or be a little too friendly while you weren’t receptive. Are you saying that Mr. Collins would…”

“Oy!” Jeremy groaned and knew he’d be casting for a new angel before the week was up at this rate, hearing the sound of Jensen’s teeth actually grinding.

“I’d never do anything to Jensen,” Jared whispered, sick at his stomach at hearing this.

He knew how Misha was fond of taking one thing and spinning it another way but he didn’t think he’d say anything to hint that he was hurting Jensen.

“Perhaps you’d be willing to take a lie detector test to help us determine how truthful your story is?” she suggested with a hard smile, holding out a consent form. “If you’d sign…hey!”

The paper was ripped to shreds while Jensen stood between his now white faced friend and the network. “No, he’s not taking any goddamn test because he’s been nothing by loyal to you people for 10 years and this, this is how he gets treated when some jealous people who can’t grasp what reality is or what this show is about starts tossing lies and rumors,” he stared the woman down until she back up a step.

“Jensen, you have to understand the network’s concern,” the man sighed, frowning a little as he began to see how shaky Jared was becoming at this. “We have ignored a lot of complaints, demands to fire Jared, etc but we need to be sure that this isn’t real. Would you be willing to be tested?” he asked suddenly.

Several sets of eyes all moved to the man while Jared was sure his heart was pounding in his head while Jensen’s lips curved into a slow smile. “You want me to be tested?” he ran his tongue over his teeth. “For what?”

“If you say that Mr…that Jared hasn’t been taking advantage of you sexually or hurting you then if you agree to be examined then that’ll rule that accusation out,” he explained seriously.

“Uh-huh,” Jensen grunted, sensing Jared’s eyes on him as well as how all three lawyers were trying to blast that idea down as stupid. “You basically want me to have a rape kit done to show whether or not my friend’s raping me because it’s not like I’m not 6’1, a little over 200 pounds and perfectly able to take care of myself,” he smirked at the shocked faced around him. “Yeah, that’s not happening.”

“What are you hiding or who are you protecting then?” the woman demanded sharply. “If he is…”

Jensen took a step but held back when he heard the soft whisper of his name pleading to let it go, to let him go and keep his own life intact. “Let me explain this very plainly to you and you can take it back to the CW,” he glared at all four people before settling on the woman who seemed to be intent with carrying this witch hunt out. “I’m not doing your goddamn test because it wouldn’t show you anything except that I’ve had sex with a man in the past six weeks and before you ask and so you can take this back to your little Destiel friends it sure as hell wasn’t with Collins and it never would be.”

As the woman flushed in obvious embarrassment while her colleagues are stared at her and this new allegation, Jensen stepped back so he’d be closer to Jared while motioning the others to back off, that he had this. “So, since your pal here was probably one of the ones feeding the network lies just to try to coax the bosses into firing Jared so maybe the idea of Destiel would seem so much brighter with Sam out of the way…let’s just cut to the chase, do you plan on firing my friend?” he demanded shortly.

Jeremy started to cut in but was held back by Eric who had realized that this was beyond them and that Jensen was in control. ‘God help us all,’ he thought to himself as he feared where this was going because he’d seen that look on Jensen’s face before and it never ended well.

“We…we will have to…” the man took a deep breath before sighing. “The Network doesn’t want to but we will have to suspend him from going to conventions until we fully dismiss all the claims and as for filming…we might have to have some scenes rewrote for a couple episodes to allow for Jared to miss a few so we can…”

“No,” Jensen broke in, voice hard. “No, because if you try that, if you try to write Jared out even for even one single episode I won’t film,” he saw the surprise on their faces, heard a gasp from behind him but didn’t look so he could stare at these suits. “I will not film without Jared. I will not shoot any scenes that should have him in it that suddenly don’t and if you do choose to fire him, kill Sam off? Well, you better be damn prepared to send both Winchesters out in that goddamn blaze of glory because I will quit five seconds after you fire him and then I will drag your asses to court.”

“Jensen…” Jared tried to say, stomach in knots, heart pounding, skin icy cold and clammy as he realized these people believed lies over him. “Please…don’t do…you need this…”

Jensen whirled to sit on the sofa, taking catching a cold and clammy face between his palms. “No, I don’t need this job and if our own network, if the people that we’ve given so much of our lives for to make this show successful want to believe lies over you? Then I don’t think I want to be Dean Winchester anymore,” he shot a hard look toward the now sweating man in charge.

“Supernatural is about two brothers. It is about Sam and Dean Winchester. It is not now, nor will it ever be or at least so long as I’m playing Dean about Dean and Castiel and if anyone back there try to push that then I’m pretty sure the lawyer behind me can sue for breach of contract cause both Jared and I have no slash in our contracts,” he smirked as one of the men pulled out a small tablet before a copy of his contract was held out a smug Lucy. “Y’see, I knew after season four what was coming and I won’t do it. My sex life off screen is my business but what or who I do on screen? That’s still in my control and Dean Winchester is only into chicks.”

“You’d quit if we fired him?” the woman scoffed, clearly willing to call the obvious bluff. “It’s not like you have a lot of options out there waiting to pick either of you up at this age, Mr. Ackles,” she sneered, gasping as her superior shot her a hard look while hissing at her to shut up because he could see now that perhaps Jensen wasn’t bluffing.

“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong,” Jensen smiled thinly, pulling out a piece of paper to hand out. “I was approached last year and last month to go back and when they contacted this last time they said if my reason for holding out was Jared that he had a spot waiting if he wanted it,” he could feel Jared’s eyes looking at him in confused and prayed his friend didn’t say anything while he also hoped the Network wasn’t stupid enough to risk one of their more successful shows on lies and fan based hysteria. “Fire him, I walk and daytime TV gets one helluva boost. Maybe you’d better call your bosses?” he suggested with what he hoped was a cocky Dean-style smirk.

The man quickly did just that while the woman continued to glare at them until suddenly the whole demeanor of the network people changed as whoever answered the phone yelled something to make the man wince and give several stuttering answers before holding out his phone. “The board wants to say a few words,” he coughed.

“To them we want to say a few words, to you I have a lot more to say,” the deep voice of the heard of their network was heard saying before shifting his focus. “Jared, I’m sorry that you were put through this. I was out of the office when this all happened so I didn’t have all the facts until just recently. I have looked into these so-called allegations, as well as those photos and as I was just telling the Board that this is clearly another very desperate move on the part of that small side of your fandom that you’ve been dealing with for several years. You were very clearly the target of a cruel and sick lie and I’m sorry that we added to it. I will issue a statement myself to those who need it that this was all lies and that from now on anything that comes in from those sources are to be ignored and deleted.”

“You better clear the Destiel fans from your employees then to make that work,” Jensen shot the furious woman his best smile, while moving a subtle hand to Jared’s shoulder in support and not caring who saw it. “Because I really don’t approve of some of the things this one has said to him.”

“That’ll be handled as soon as they get back,” the man on the phone assured him, going on in a more sympathetic tone. “Jared, Jensen, I want you both to know that the CW would never fire anyone over the lies of a few people who want something that I would never allow on the show. You are correct. Your show is about two brothers and it will stay that way. I’m sorry this happened and I will do whatever I can to help to make it up to Jared in any way possible if you’ll let me know how we can do that.”

Jared was staring blankly, still trying to figure out what was happening but unable to focus because he was too stunned by what he was certain Jensen had almost just done.

“He’ll get back to you on that offer later,” Jensen finally spoke up as he watched big eyes that were way too glassy for him right then. “This has left Jared pretty wiped out since he couldn’t sleep last night because he was scared of losing his job or going to jail for lies. I want you to release a simple statement if these lies get out because you better have his back over this.”

“We will, Jensen,” the man assured him, about to hang up after speaking with Jeremy about handling this on set as best as he could…while making certain it never happened again. “Oh, and Jensen? I trust you’re still willing to work on the show?”

“So long as it’s me and Jared,” Jensen replied, adding. “Just don’t try to assume that if you screw one of us that the other won’t walk and we make this show. No matter who else might be on it, it’s still about Sam and Dean.”

That went without saying as the phone clicked off and the suits were quick to leave. The moment the door slammed shut, Jared bolted for the back of the trailer and Jensen was growling at everyone else to get out and let him handle it.

“What the hell was that?” Jeremy had to ask, stunned and shocked at what he thought he’d just witnessed. “Did you just bluff the Network that you’d quit if they fired Jared and that you had a job lined back up in daytime?” he asked and could hear Eric chuckling. “Also, did you just pretty much tell them you’re…”

“What they take my comment about my sex life to mean is up to them. You and Eric both know the truth so that also means you know damn good and well I would’ve admitted it to them if they kept pushing or if they’re not smart enough to figure it or the ring on my hand out,” Jensen replied with a shrug, ears attuned to the sounds of retching coming from the back and really just wanted to get to Jared and calm him down.

“Jared and I both said when we told Eric back in season two that we’d keep our relationship private and we have but don’t think for one second that if he’s threatened that I won’t blow the lid off of that can of worms,” he held the gaze of his producer to see the understanding there. “And as for the other…I bluffed that a little but pulled in favors down there to make it look good,” Jensen’s smile this time was cocky. “I do still get asked to go back and could you imagine the rating spike daytime TV would get at the chance to see either of us on daytime?”

Jeremy opened his mouth but shut it to sigh. “Remind me to never play poker with you, Jensen,” he muttered, reaching for the door handle to look back. “Can you please kick Murray off the lot before he hurts himself…or Misha?”

“Chad’s here until he sees that Jared’s fine but tell Clif to take him to the cafeteria or something,” Jensen wanted time alone to settle and explain these to his friends but he reached out to catch a shoulder. “Hey. You have today to get this fixed with him. If I don’t see a Twitter post by him telling that Destiel is not real and will never happen on this show then you better keep our scenes limited or keep him on his own or with Mark. I wasn’t happy to begin with and then to find out that he popped something off to make it look like Jared was hurting me makes me madder so you, Eric, Bob, and the writers better sit down and make some hard choices for next season and then you sit down with me and Jared.”

“I’ll handle it someway,” Jeremy nodded and guessed he’d better start to do that right then as he stepped out to hear voices coming from somewhere else on the lot and shot a confused look to a fighting not to smirk Bob Singer.

“Misha’s wife found out what was happening up here and showed up to read him the riot act on top of what Mark’s already doing so he’d probably welcome whatever you’re about to do to him compared to the two of them,” he remarked while also holding out a phone. “Oh…and Jim’s on the phone for you. It seems like someone called him that someone was hassling his ‘idjits’.

“Go tell Misha I want him in my office,” Jeremy took the phone while motioning to Clif to get a still grumbling Chad someplace else as he prepared to be bitched at one more time. “Jim, everything is…yeah, I know, you said this would happen but…no, Jared’s not being fired…I think Jensen bluffed the network.”

Eric Kripke looked at Jensen for a long moment. “You did good,” he spoke before leaving the trailer, pausing in the doorway. “He’s lucky to have you, Jensen. I don’t know if anyone else put in the position you just were would’ve risked what you just risked.”

“There was no risk,” Jensen replied. “I told you once that I wouldn’t do this show without him and I will hold to that until they roll the ending credits on Sam and Dean. I also won’t let this keep happening to him so if I don’t see that post then I’ll do it myself.”

Eric knew how that could play out so he nodded. “I’ll see Misha before I leave and explain that it would be better for him if he makes an effort to get those fans to understand where that type of thing belongs. Will he be alright?”

“He will be after I get him home and he can eat and sleep without being worried about losing everything,” Jensen hoped so at least, adding. “He’s not filming today so ask Jeremy if he can block around us and we’ll catch those scenes tomorrow. As soon as I calm him down I’m taking him home and…Eric? Thanks for coming?”

“I still feel responsible for you guys so of course I’d come if either of you were in trouble,” Eric shook the extended head and then nodded to the back. “Go check on him. I’ll tell Clif to be ready to take you guys’ home and see if I can’t convince that pit-bull you involved to calm down before the boys write him in as a monster of the week or something.”

Jensen started to groan at the thought only to stop. “Hey, that’s not a bad idea. Jared won’t let me take a shot at Chad normally so maybe Dean could gank him or something?” he grinned as he knew the comment was overheard when Chad yelled something back at him equally insulting.

“Go check on Jared, Jensen,” Eric chuckled, stepping out to make sure the door was closed before heading to make sure this never happened again.

Throwing the lock on the door again, Jensen headed for the back after grabbing a bottle of water from the mini fridge. It hadn’t surprised him that Jared would get sick after most of the drama was over as that usually was how it worked.

Jared was great at being stoic and holding himself together in the face of trouble, drama, stress, or anything else. It was after things began to settle down, or calm down and he could relax that he usually fell apart.

“Jay?” he leaned in the bathroom door to see that Jared had finally stopped throwing up and was leaning back against the sink, head on his knees and hair covering his eyes. Jensen knelt down after wetting a cold cloth to lay it on the back of Jared’s neck, feeling the shoulder under his hand shaking. “Want to talk, go home or punch me?”

“You were going to walk away from the show if they fired me?” Jared’s voice was ragged from throwing up and how tired he felt but more than that he was still stunned at not only the bad stuff but also how far Jensen had been willing to go for him. “You would’ve told them the truth too…about us to prove that I hadn’t…hurt you or…”

“Heaven and Hell, Jay,” Jensen said quietly as he held out the water until Jared took a few sips, spit it into the sink as he helped him to his feet and then drank more. “I’ve told you before and I’ll say it again the night I said I loved you and that I’d move heaven or hell to be with you regardless of what it cost me I meant that.”

Jensen sat down on the bed with Jared; keeping an arm around him while making sure he didn’t drink too fast and make himself sick again. “The show’s important but not as important to me as you. Yes, I would’ve walked in a heartbeat if they fired you and yes, I would’ve kissed the living hell out of you right in front of everyone that was out there to prove that if and when I have a few bruises or you do they’re willing bruises brought on by things we both like. I will always have your back, Jay,” he promised in a voice thick with emotion and just a touch more Texas than Jensen normally used.

Jared turned his head to look at Jensen. “Can we just go home, Jen?” he asked, looking as worn out as he felt now and not wanting to be on set right then. “I know we have stuff to film and I hate to make us behind…”

“We’ll make it up. I think after this crap that Jeremy and the others will understand why we’re taking the day and I’ve already told Eric to tell him that,” Jensen looked around, grabbed Jared’s jacket as well as his own. “C’mon, let’s get you outta here and go home so you can sleep.”

Sleep and food sounded good given that he hadn’t much of either in a day or so but all Jared really wanted was the privacy of the home he often shared with Jensen and just some peace and quiet.

Jared ruled out the latter when the moment Jensen opened the door Chad was demanding to know how he was, what had happened and if he could please hit someone.

“You got him here now you make him go away,” Jared told Jensen after reassuring his friend that he was…fine or would be and that he’d tell him the rest some other time. “I just want to go home today. I’m not ready to face the questions or looks or…shit,” he muttered, not ready to deal with Misha right then. “Jensen…”

Jensen was already nudging Jensen into the standard Hummer that Clif drove them around in while shooting a growling Chad a ‘stay’ glare. “Do you have a death wish?” he asked in all open curiosity as he turned to block the other actor from getting too close to the Hummer. “I am not happy with you. I wasn’t happy with you when I got here and then when I found out that you’d told a panel at a con that Jared was bullying me well, you’re damn lucky I haven’t put my fist in your mouth. Don’t push me, Misha,” he warned in a flat hard tone.

“Jensen, I just want to apologize to…” Misha blinked when he was shoved back several steps; not expecting that Jensen’s rare temper would actually ever come out like this.

“Apologize? You owe him more than a goddamn apology!” Jensen snapped, still seeing those photos and hearing that woman from network speaking to Jared like he wasn’t worth her time. “You encourage the crap that happens! You think it’s funny and cute to let them hope that one day they might actually see something on screen when you know, you know how I feel about it.

“Thanks to everything you say or you hint at or Tweet, Jared nearly lost his job. Lies, Misha! He nearly lost his job over lies! All because you don’t want to risk upsetting your fans by flat out telling them that Destiel is only in fan fiction. Tell them. If you really want to make this up to him then you tell them and take some of the same heat that he takes or that I get when I stand up to it,” he snapped angrily, feeling a hand on his arm and knowing it was Clif urging him to get in the Hummer.

So far since that morning Misha had been yelled at, snarled at, and lectured…by his wife and that didn’t include the remarks cast by Mark Sheppard or those on the cast who knew what had been happening. He knew things had gone too far and he did feel bad about encouraging some of it but he still felt that it was mainly harmless fandom fun. Of course he decided as an afterthought that he shouldn’t have said that to an already pissed off Jensen Ackles.

“Fandom fun? This is what you think it was?” Jensen knew he probably would’ve hit the man right there if finally Jim Michaels hadn’t got between him and Misha. “It’s not fun when they say he’s doing things that could bring the cops on him! It’s not fun when they say crap that gets people wanting me to get a goddamn rape kit done to prove the stories are false! It’s not fun when I just threatened to end this show by quitting if they fired him because it would be a cold day in Crowley’s hell that I would film this series without Jared and if you haven’t gotten that through your head yet you’d better get this!

“They might’ve made you a regular because those fans pushed for it when we all know Castiel’s character wasn’t supposed to last past season 5, they brought Mark in as a regular to counter Castiel but no matter what else happens so long as Jared and I are Sam and Dean this show will always be about them and whatever the hell they struggle against,” Jensen had to stop from saying everything that he’d been wanting to because if he did there’d be no going back for any of them so he took a deep shaky breath.

“I’m taking him home. I will not be answering the phone but I will be checking Twitter. I hope I see a post from you clearing this up and making it clear that you as Jared’s friend, as a fellow cast mate, do not approve of those people seeking to hurt him or get him fired. I hope to see you taking a stand that’s positive and not making light of this because this…what this almost did to him…this isn’t fun anymore, dude,” the actor heard a soft voice call for him and he backed away fully, seeing the slight look of surprise on the other man’s face. “Remember the one and only warning I gave you when you came onto the show, Misha? If you don’t, here it is again. Follow it this time because I only warn once.”

Jensen leaned back in, past a muttering Jim, to whisper something too low for anyone else to hear but saw the slight not of understanding as he turned to walk to the Hummer; shoving a glaring Chad toward the front of it while he moved to get in the rear and only then did a glowering Clif get in.

“So? Gonna share the warning that I don’t suggest you break cause I still think Castiel won’t make it past this season after this stunt,” Mark Sheppard remarked casually as he strolled up after standing back to view the scene.

Misha released a breath he hadn’t known he was holding to sigh. He did recall the one and only warning Jensen had given him when he started on Supernatural back in Season Four because he’d been trying a little too hard to fit in and hadn’t realized how close he’d come to getting written off until much later.

“Don’t hurt Jared,” he murmured and while he hadn’t fully understood or believed Jensen back then when he said what he could and would do to protect his co-star he believed the man only too well right then because there was no bluff or lie in those hard green eyes that he’d just been stared down by. “He told me not to ever hurt Jared.”

“And there was a man fully prepared to carry out that warning so I suggest you get your ass to tweeting something before he does,” Mark told him and decided he was going to stick to the angel playing actor until he did just that.

The mood in the Hummer was quiet as Jensen tried to settle his still seething temper. It wasn’t until a hand touched his that he finally let it go in a long breath.

“You know even if Misha tweets that it isn’t ever going to be seen that 10% of the fans won’t accept that,” Jared murmured softly. He understood his friend’s anger because he’d often felt some of it when Misha encouraged the Destiel talk at cons and stuff but Jared had a better grasp of the online fandom and knew how it worked. “They will always believe it exists just like some even believe you and…”

“Whoa! Hold up! Do not even finish that sentence or I will lose what food I’ve eaten!” Chad piped up from the front seat while sharing a horrified look with Clif over that image. “Dudes, your fans have serious questionable tastes in this imaginary fiction stuff.”

“Should I tell him about that one you found that also has him and Kane as couple?” Jensen hid his smile as Chad’s face went almost as pale as his short hair while Jared did chuckle softly but then rested his head over on Jensen’s shoulder; something that told all in the Hummer how Jared was feeling since normally he wouldn’t have been that open unless it was just him and Jensen alone.

Chad was gagging at even the thought of that since he and Christian Kane could barely be in the same room without snarling at one another so what Jensen just suggested grossed him out almost as bad as the other image just had.

“Where am I taking you guys?” Clif had a hunch but wanted to be sure. “Also, what do I do with this guy?”

“My car’s at Jared’s place so you can take me there since I think my buddy’s in good hands again,” Chad cringed at his own words and vowed to scrub his brain when he got home.

Jensen’s arm had tightened when he felt Jared tense at the question as if he was unsure of what to say or maybe what Jensen would want. “Take us home, Clif,” he replied which told the bodyguard to go to the house he knew Jensen owned but that Jared subtly shared 95% of the time.

“Clif?” Jared’s tone was drowsy as he lifted his head enough to meet Clif’s in the mirror. “When you drop Chad off, could you tell Gen I’m okay and that I’ll call her tomorrow?” he asked.

He didn’t want his wife to worry but he just didn’t have any more energy left to deal with other things right then and just wanted to be alone with Jensen.

“I’ll take care of it. You just make sure you eat and actually sleep,” Clif assured him, meeting Jensen’s eyes then to express how little the younger man had slept the night before.

By the time the Hummer pulled up in front of the large home in an upscale but private neighborhood of Vancouver Jared was already half asleep but refused Clif and Chad’s offers to help Jensen get him along with Jensen’s carry-on bag to the house.

Jensen decided to make two trips from the Hummer to the house. He deposited Jared at the front door, aimed him toward the steps to the second floor with instructions to go up and crash while he went back to grab his bag and assure both men that he had it under control.

“Tell him to call me sometime,” Chad spoke up, worried but understanding that Jared needed something else that night and he had who he needed. “And Ackles?” he paused as Jensen looked back curiously. “Thanks for standing up for him. I guess you’re a pretty good guy…so long as I don’t overthink it.”

Jensen laughed as Clif growled and drove off. He shut the door, locked it and hung his jacket up by the door. He’d just taken a step toward the steps when he caught something from the corner of his eye in the living room and sighed with a fond smile.

Jared had detoured from the steps to the large overstuffed sofa they’d purchased when it became quickly plain to both men that the sleek modern leather one that had been in the house previously wasn’t going to cut it. It was a large sectional kind with a loveseat and recliner that was scattered in the room and Jared had fallen face first down onto the sofa.

Stepping closer and kneeling down to gently card his fingers back through Jared’s hair to push it out of his face, Jensen didn’t have the heart to wake him just to go back to sleep in their bed so he pulled a throw from the back of the sofa to lay it over his sleeping boyfriend. “Love you, Jay,” he whispered and pressed a whisper soft kiss over Jared’s cheek before going to turn on some lights and make sure the house was set for the night before he settled on the loveseat with his phone and laptop to begin watching social media.

Jared wasn’t certain how long he slept as he felt his brain waking back up. He still felt like crap and drained but he also felt hungry so was rolling over to try to sit up when he felt fingers on his neck and his lips curved into a sleepy smile. “Hey.”

“Hey yourself,” Jensen had been watching as Jared began to move more in his sleep and knew from years with the man that he was more active shortly before waking up. “Feel a little better?” he asked as he moved the floor in front of the sofa that he’d moved to about an hour earlier to sit on the edge.

“A little,” Jared conceded and then yawned. “Still wiped out but I’ll be fine to shoot tomorrow…or is it today? How long have I slept?” he asked, noticing the tray of food close by as well as how Jensen’s phone was lying across the room. “Still nothing?”

Jensen refused to reply to that as he’d made up him mind to deal with the matter the next day. Right then he wanted to make sure Jared was alright. “It’ll be okay, Jay. I’ll handle it later,” he offered a slow smile that didn’t quite remove the left over anger in his eyes but it was a start. “How about we eat a little and then go upstairs, watch a bad movie, take a shower and crash until Clif comes pounding on the door?” he suggested.

“I’d rather we make out here on the sofa,” Jared was tired but he was still also in the process of convincing himself that he still had Jensen after being so sure it was over in so many ways. “It doesn’t even have to be anything heavy just so long as I can feel you touch me or…” he drew off as he watched as Jensen pulled his t-shirt off in a single pull and then their lips were colliding without any more coaxing on Jared’s part.

Knowing that Jared was still exhausted and emotionally drained, Jensen suspected he knew what this was about and would do his best to give Jared what he needed right then as he kissed him deeply, fingers tugging Jared’s shirts off until he touched skin and then nudged him back on the sofa.

“The bed’s bigger,” he pointed out in between kisses that were quickly heating.

“The bed’s upstairs and I want you to touch me or do something right now,” Jared countered, no longer caring if he was tired so long as he could have Jensen’s hands or mouth, preferably both, on him quickly. “Please, Jen. I thought that after this, what happened, that I’d lose you one way or…fuck, I love it when you do that.”

Jensen’s tongue had skimmed a down from Jared’s ear to the hollow of his throat before continuing lower to find and roll a hardening little nub around with it; loving the sounds he could always gain from Jared with that move.

“It would take a lot more than what we just faced to lose me, Jay,” he replied, voice dropping quickly into the deep and husky one that no one but Jared heard. “An alien invasion or something of that magnitude maybe,” Jensen’s eyes lifted to see how fast Jared’s had gone to pure lust. “Never anything like that. It’ll be you and me against the world.”

“Even after the show’s over?” Jared wasn’t sure where that came from but now that it was out he had to admit it was a very real fear for him.

“Forever,” Jensen murmured before kissing him with a softer, deeper kiss meant to show love rather than pure passion.

He caught Jared’s jaw in his palm to hold it while holding his gaze to place kisses over his face, whispering soft words with each kiss until he got to his lips and spent a great deal of time making love to them with his lips and tongue until feeling Jared’s lips part on a moan.

Stress, emotions, separation and too much worry didn’t leave either actor much energy for patience right then as remaining clothes and shoes were shed between heated kisses, low moans and muttered words that Jensen was sure was part Latin half the time.

He wanted to make slow love to his boyfriend, to offer Jared the reassurance he might need but Jared was too on edge, to impatient for slow right then so Jensen went with Plan B as he slid down Jared’s body to hold his eyes while taking his hardening cock in his mouth.

“Oh…” Jared bit his lip and fought the instant need to come just from how hot it always was to watch Jensen’s lips curve into a sexy smirk before he slipped the head of his cock into his mouth and began to move slowly up and down while sucking in an alternating pattern that never failed to turn his brain to mush. “Jen…that is…damn that’s hot,” he groaned, head slumping back to the sofa to let his body react to the feel of hot lips sliding up and down on his cock and then strong fingers moving back to lightly squeeze his balls. “Fuck!”

Blowjobs had never been one of Jensen’s favorite things to do but he didn’t mind them with Jared because he loved the sounds his boyfriend made as well as the taste that he knew was something definitely Jared.

Jensen knew neither of them would last long after the day they’d both had and for Jared the days before this as well so he focused on pleasing Jared as best as he could right then; knowing by the sounds from above him that Jared was lost in the feelings and was close.

“Jen…gonna…need to…” Jared’s fingers reached out blindly to try to find purchase in Jensen’s still slightly longer than usual hair and managed to tug it enough to gain his lover’s attention. “Please…need to…need to come.”

Jensen merely nodded in understanding but instead of pulling off completely he pulled back until just the head was locked between his lips, fingers beginning to stroke the slick cock above his lips to continue to pleasure Jared.

Jared watched the love shining back at him from Jensen’s eyes a moment before a skilled tongue teased over the slit in the head of his cock and a fingernail raked up the sensitive nerve on the underside and he was lost in the orgasm that had him shouting Jensen’s name as lights exploded in front of his eyes. “ _Jensen_!”

Watching Jared’s face as he continued to suck him off during the rush of the climax soon had Jensen’s already red, engorged and weeping cock even more ready to come as he worked on rubbing himself off on the sofa and soon felt his own orgasm rocket through him and he moaned around the slowly softening cock in his mouth.

Jared’s hips pumped up and down a few more times while he gradually felt his body coming down and his cock began to get too sensitive for touch. “Jen…” he gasped as pleasure was turning just to pain when Jensen pulled off with a wet pop and before Jared could think his mouth was covered in a heated kiss, tasting himself on Jensen’s lips and shuddering.

“I love you, Jared,” Jensen said between the kisses and after they both collapsed on the sofa, wrapped in each other’s arms to let their bodies cool.

“Love you, Jen,” Jared’s eyes were heavy now but he pried them open to whimper as he felt Jensen start to move. “Can we sleep here for a while?” he asked, not ready to move fully.

“Yeah, as soon as I grab something to clean us up a bit,” Jensen chuckled, vanishing naked into the kitchen to come back with a wet cloth and proceeded to wipe them both free of come and sweat.

While Jared reluctantly pulled his jeans back on, Jensen wiped a few spots off the couch and suddenly Jared knew why they’d voted for the stain proof material. Then he was being tugged back into Jensen’s arms after his friend stretched back out beside him.

There was so much that Jared knew he should say, that he wanted to ask about what Jensen had done that day but before he could find the words they both looked to where Jensen’s phone suddenly began to buzz.

“I knew I really should’ve turned that damn thing off,” Jensen muttered and debated not answering it but moved long enough to grab it, frowning as he took in the number. “What the hell?” he wondered, sitting back on the sofa to allow Jared to move against his side while hitting the speaker button. “What do you want this late?” he asked.

“Hello, boys. Let’s have us a chat, shall we?”

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

**Not Without Him**

**Chapter Three**

Jared and Jensen both looked at one another when they heard that voice because that was not the voice of Mark Sheppard but of the demon he played.

“Is it a good thing when Crowley calls us at home?” Jared asked quietly, not sure what this meant.

“No, because it means we need to have the boys at the studio have a long talk with Mark about remembering to leave Crowley on set when he goes home in the evening,” Jensen returned, turning his gaze to the phone in his hand. “Mark? Are we role playing or running a scene that no one told us about?”

“Oh, now be a little more imaginative, Squirrel. I think you and Moose should be thanking me rather than grumbling at me for disturbing your little love nest,” Mark Sheppard remarked in his perfect tone as Crowley. “Someone just sent you boys a nice little link over your Twitter accounts that you might be interested in. View it and you can thank me and the lovely Miss Vicki later. Ta-ta, boys.”

The phone went dead and Jensen was left wondering if maybe they’d slipped into an alternate reality and no one had told him or Jared. “Okay, he’s either drunk or we need to worry,” he muttered but then went to his Twitter feed to see that indeed there was a link to a video from Mark’s account that had been retweeted from Misha’s. “Should I look now while I’m still in post sex bliss or wait?”

“Maybe…it’s not too bad or too flame worthy?” Jared’s voice was low, a sure sign he was on edge, as he moved closer to allow Jensen’s arm to wrap around him so they could both see the video.

“It better not be,” Jensen muttered under his breath while clicking the link to open the video, frowning a bit as Misha could be seen messing with the camera until it was steady. “I will make sure that angel’s grace burns out painfully if he messes this up.”

“‘ _Good morning, good evening, good night and all the time zones in between my wonderful fans. Yes, it is I, Misha Collins, aka Castiel, or vice versa for those who think Castiel is playing me_ ,’” Misha began with his usual theatrics but then he turned a little more serious as he gazed into the camera for a moment. “‘ _I guess you’re all probably wondering what’s up that I, your great leader, am making a video. Well, the answer is that I need to say a few things and that darn word limit on Twitter won’t cut it._

 _“‘This is a slightly more serious post than what you might be used to seeing from me but…I’m afraid that my take it easy, light hearted, joking frame of mind might have led some of you to take a few things I’ve said, implied, or hinted about too seriously and in doing so a very serious, very nasty, very disappointing to me thing almost took place to a friend of mine. And I want to clear it up_.’”

Misha adjusted the camera again when it went out of focus before continuing. “‘ _I think I’m probably addressing this to the very small group of my fans who might have taken my playful acceptance of the works of fan fiction and art about Destiel to mean that I want it to be canon or written into the show. I know I haven’t been as vocal about dismissing it as real or possible on screen as my fellow actors have been and that I might even have countered or dismissed their objections as insults which I see you took to mean I believe that Destiel is real or will one day be happily written into a script. That is not that case_.’”

“Holy hell, he might actually going to be doing this,” Jensen felt Jared’s hand on his because both knew the good and bad reaction this could have.

“‘ _Yes, I have often teased and played the Destiel angle up because I knew my fans liked it and I have encouraged it even while knowing Jensen didn’t care for it. It was wrong of me in Rome to not back Jensen up when he said flat out that he doesn’t play Dean in that manner and that he and Castiel are just friends. I was wrong to counter that with mock anger and insult even though I did know he’d get flak from the Destiel fans. I should have addressed this then but…I did believe it was a fun piece of the fandom and I think it can still be if only those fans understand that it belongs in fan fiction and not on screen and if those fans also understand that taking it to a point where they’re causing deliberate harm is not what I would want or encourage at all._

 _“‘I have been aware that some of the more extreme fans have been harassing Jared, even to the point where some have tried to get him fired. Recently though they took this to an extreme that I not only will not condone but I will say here that I am very upset because photo shopping photos of Jared doing things that not only could have gotten him fired but also jailed, lying in emails to the network and also harassing him at his home where he lives with his wife and sons take things in a direction that isn’t fun_ ,’” Misha stared into the camera seriously as if looking at people. “‘ _Jared was very nearly fired from the show over these lies, over someone in the Destiel fandom telling horrible lies about a man who helped to make the show we all love what it is. They said he did unspeakable things when in reality all he has ever done is try to make fans happy by doing his best to make Sam Winchester the best he can be._

_“‘Destiel is a by-product of our fans and while it is flattering, it is also never going to be on screen. The show isn’t about me even though Castiel is a large part of the Winchester brothers support system. The show is about the brothers and no matter who might also be in an episode, I am not as important to the scheme of things as Jared and Jensen are. They make this show and to hurt one of them hurts the other and that hurts me. I love all my fans. I want to support all your crazy wackiness as you support mine but I cannot, I will not support anyone who tries to hurt Jared just to get him off the show because you may think it will give Castiel more screen time or that it will clear the way for Castiel and Dean. It won’t. In fact…doing anything like that will end the show because I will promise you that Supernatural will not go forward without both its stars._

“‘ _Now before anyone starts crying foul or saying that I was forced to make this little lecture let me say that is not the case. I have not said anything before because maybe I didn’t want any backlash but when I saw the true effect my teasing and jokes as well as your actions have had on both Jensen and Jared then I realized I needed to finally step up and say enough is enough_ ,’” Misha leaned in close to the camera now. “‘ _No one on the cast or crew will ever tell the fans to stop writing or enjoying what you…ship, but that needs to be tempered with an acceptance that Destiel is only as real as our minds just like Wincest is or any other shipping combo. We as actors and actresses are often humbled that those with such talent, write such stories but it also must be done with respect and care as some people aren’t at ease with certain things and that must be respected_.

“‘ _Yes, I may lose some fans. Yes, some of you may be disappointed in me but I would like to think my fans wouldn’t want to cause an innocent man to lose a job that he had spent 10 years crafting, molding, and enjoying all over something that will never be on screen or played in that way. Castiel is an angel and while he has recently enjoyed a time to understand human emotions he is still basically an angel looking to do right. He has no more interest in Dean as a sexual partner than he would any other male…now Hannah on the other hand_ ,’” Misha broke off with a small smirk before coughing. “‘ _So, as I close this I ask my fans, fans of this show, fans of Dean, Sam, Jared, Jensen and even the annoying King of Hell to please respect the lives and privacy of those who put such time in to bring it to you and please…don’t try to hurt people over a fictional relationship created in the minds of fans._

“‘ _Now I send this out to Jared. I am sorry this happened. If I had really known the little things I said or teased or played at would ever have this reaction I would’ve stopped it. In the future, I will follow what I have preached and I will try not to exaggerate any stories or make things up to intentionally tease, bother, or embarrass you or Jensen,_ ’” Misha took time to pause again to look directly into the lens to nod subtly and then the screen went blank as the video ended.

Both stars were quiet as they took in what they had just seen. “Odds that Jeremy’s going to be pounding his head in by the time we get to set?” Jared wondered, taking Jensen’s phone to go onto Twitter to check the damage only to have it plucked from his fingers, shut off and tossed to the chair. “Jen?”

“He did what he should’ve done at least four years ago when it started getting bad. Now he can get a taste of the dark side of our fandom. Now he can see what you often deal with or what you think I didn’t know was being said about me,” Jensen hated for anyone to experience anything negative but it was time Misha got a taste of that and what his comments could bring. He just hoped it helped and would do his best to make sure none of it came back on Jared. “Now, I’m going to take you upstairs to our bedroom and we’re going to go to sleep, put this all behind us. Then we’ll wake up…or I’ll wake you up and talk you into morning sex in the shower before we grab breakfast.”

“All before Clif shows up?” Jared’s smile was a little stronger than it had been all that day. “Maybe we should just stay up?”

Jensen smirked, standing to pull Jared with him; arms going around his waist to bring him in close so their chests brushed. “I know the schedule. It’s a late shoot but we don’t have to be there until late morning cause he’s shooting Mark and Misha so you can sleep and then I can make love to you in the shower.”

“You think…we can still make out in our trailers?” Jared was nervous about going back to the lot because he knew a lot of the crew were probably wondering what the hell happened today…especially given how many times Jensen had been in Misha’s face; a rare thing for anyone to see Jensen’s temper.

“Yeah, don’t we usually?” Jensen understood the fear now. “Jay, the network will back off. They know if they want to keep the show, want to keep the ratings then it’s best to back off and protect its stars. We’re careful on set, we’re careful at the cons. No one has anything to prove that you and I are more than best friends and co-stars,” he lifted a lowered head to lightly kiss soft lips until Jared relaxed into him. “Y’know I would’ve outed us today if I had to.”

Jared did know that. He also couldn’t have loved Jensen more than he did right then for that. “I love you, Jen,” he murmured as fingers curled into his hair to give a gentle tug, exposing his neck so Jensen’s teeth could run over it lightly. “I thought we were going to bed. You keep this up and we’ll be having sex on the stairs again,” he warned with a light laugh.

“No, I’ve got to get tossed by something so no sex on the steps but I won’t promise we’ll sleep right away,” Jensen teased, happy to finally hear a laugh from Jared as he kissed him again. “I’m glad to see you smile, Jay. I missed that. I missed you too while I was away.”

That reminded Jared of something and he paused on the way upstairs. “Jen? Where are Danneel and JJ?” he asked since he knew his boyfriend had gone with them to visit Danneel’s family.

“Still in New Orleans but I will call her to let her know you’re alright and I didn’t murder anyone,” Jensen rubbed his hands up Jared’s arms to his shoulders, being careful on the one since he knew it was still tender. “Are you okay now?”

Jared sat down to change into a pair of sleep pants and he thought of that. “Yeah, I think,” he frowned a little as he looked up from under his lashes to watch Jensen change. “I think I’ll be on edge for a bit longer. I’ll be worried about this coming back on us but…”

“We’ll handle it,” Jensen promised, coming over to nudge Jared back on the bed before lowering himself down beside him. “You’re not alone, babe. Let me wake up and I’ll tell you what Bob told me about Jeff and Sam calling to yell,” he teased Jared’s lips with his own until he felt them part on a soft sigh so his tongue could slip inside to explore.

“Hmmm,” Jared hummed, content tonight because he felt that he was where he should be. “Did you happen to call Jeff or Samantha and tell them what was happening, Jen?” he asked and knew his boyfriend had when Jensen’s lips curved up slightly. “Thank you, Jensen.”

Lifting his head from where he was focusing on not leaving marks on Jared’s neck from kissing him, Jensen’s eyes were light but serious. “You don’t ever have to thank me for anything I do, Jay. I love you and I’ll do whatever I have to for you.”

Jared felt his eyes burn but would blame it on still being tired and not on the tears that wanted to come from those words.

“Go to sleep, Jared. We’ll see what today brings but no matter what it will always be you and me,” Jensen let Jared turn into him, smiling softly as his boyfriend found the one spot between his neck and shoulder that Jared often liked to rest his head while his hand would lay flat over Jensen’s heart to feel it. “Hey, you will tell me if this ever happens again?”

“Yeah, I will,” Jared promised because he knew a lot of this might’ve been prevented or headed off if he had told Jensen. “I’m sorry I didn’t, Jensen. I just didn’t want to get you involved or…”

“I know, Jay, I know,” Jensen murmured and he did. He combed his fingers through soft hair to smile as Jared relaxed more and slowly drifted to sleep.

Watching Jared sleep, Jensen stayed awake for a bit longer to just settle the nerves he still had over how close he’d come to everything changing for them both and how much he would give to keep Jared with him.

Jensen knew there’d be fallout from Misha’s video. He knew both he and Jared would take heat and the next convention would be hell but he’d make sure to take the heat and also make sure Jared would have others with him if and when Jensen couldn’t be.

‘Maybe it’s time to badger Jeff into coming to a convention,’ he thought to himself with a grin and then he let himself fall to sleep.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I wrote this I really had no clue that JDM might actually be going to the Vegas con in 2015.

**Author's Note:**

> So, if you read through all 3 chapters I hope you enjoyed. It is not a slap in the face to all shippers just those more extreme ones that bring a bad name to all shippers in general and those who make all Destiel readers, even casual ones, take heat.


End file.
